


Homecoming

by mourninghope (orphan_account)



Series: Pack [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cannon Typical Violence, Knotting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-18 19:00:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1439308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/mourninghope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The pack arrives at the Sheriff's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to remove the fic regarding Scott's marking; if you read it, please pretend it didn't happen. Thank you.

Stiles stretched hard and Derek ducked, narrowly avoiding his mate’s flailing fist. “Wake up, baby,” he rumbled, smile tugging his lips as he brushed his knuckles against Stiles cheek. “Hey. C’mon.” Unbuckling, the alpha slid out of the Camaro to stare up at the Sherriff’s house. The house looked the same, but for a fresh coat of paint on the trim and the recently washed siding. 

Grumbling, Stiles popped the trunk and pulled out Derek’s duffel and his own backpack. “You can get the suitcase, Sourwolf,” he called, turning to wave at Scott as he and Kira pulled into the drive behind them, leaving one side open for the Sherriff. 

“Hey, bro! So. Any idea why our folks wanted to talk to us,” Scott asked, sliding out of his car. “I mean other than your mating,” he added, waggling his brows at Stiles as Kira slipped under his arm.

“Yeah, Stiles, why are we here? And why the hell did I have to ride in the backseat,” Isaac asked, scrubbing his hands through his curls as he awkwardly unfolded from the Camaro’s backseat.

Derek growled at Isaac’s grumpy tone and flicked the beta in the ear before reeling his bouncing mate into his side and rubbing his stubbled chin against Stiles’ cheek. The omega shrugged. “House looks almost new. It feels different somehow.” 

“Dude!” Scott blinked and pulled in a long breath through his nose. “Almost smells… I mean you don’t think… Mom and your dad? Your dad and my mom? I mean would they?”

Giggling, Kira nipped Scott’s earlobe and slipped from beneath his arm to get their bags from the backseat. “That would be so cool! You guys would really be brothers then!” 

“We’re already brothers. That would be just a… A formality,” Stiles said, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. “A cool formality. I think. But still just a formality.” 

Scott grinned and grabbed the bags from Kira, following the alpha and his mate up the steps. Isaac lingered behind, scowling and rubbing his earlobe, even though the sting had long since faded; shrugging the curly-haired beta grabbed his beaten backpack out of the Camaro and closed the trunk, slinking up behind the quartet to drop his chin onto Scott’s shoulder. “You really think the Sheriff and Melissa are gonna tie the knot?”

“It would make sense. They’ve been dancing around each other for a couple years now,” Derek said, swatting Stiles on the ass as the omega dug the house key out from under the welcome mat, making him yelp and throw a glare, which quickly melted into a sunny smile, over one shoulder. 

“It would totally make sense,” Stiles said while Scott nodded emphatically. “It would also explain why we were all told to come here, rather than going to Melissa’s house, which is considerably larger. I totes can’t see my dad selling the house” he added softly, finally getting the door unlocked. The omega stepped to one side, letting the others in. “Mi casa es su casa!”

“You three take the guest room. Scott you know where it is. Derek, you wanna take our stuff up to my room while I go call my dad and see when he’s gonna get home?”

“I gotta share with these two? Can’t I just sleep on the couch,” Isaac whined, fiddling with the bright teal scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. 

“Isaac,” Derek growled, shooting the pouting beta a look, his brows lowered menacingly. “Shush and get upstairs.” He dropped his voice, stepping into Isaac’s space to busk his chin against the beta’s temple. “If what my mate and Scott think is true, this weekend is going to be hard enough without you being all pouty. Behave. Seriously,” he added, hearing the tiniest hint of a whine trying to crawl out of Isaac’s throat. Nudging the beta, Derek followed him up the stairs, shoving him in the direction of the guest room.

After dropping their bags, Derek slipped back down stairs and took up a near the ‘fridge while Stiles called his dad. 

“Hey, Deputy Parrish! Its Stiles!”

“Hey, Stiles. I’m guessing you want to talk to your dad, huh?”

“Please.” Stiles fidgeted, curling the kinked cord of the old rotary phone around his fingers over and over again, one foot tapping out an unsteady beat against the freshly scrubbed linoleum. 

“Hey, kiddo. You guys made it okay?”

“Yeah, Dad, we did. Hey, what time you gonna be home? Cause I mean, it would be totally great to see you and I’d like you and Derek to get past the alpha posturing as quickly as possible.”

Derek heard the Sherriff laugh and ducked his chin to his chest, hiding his smirk.

“I should be home about four and Melissa’ll be there about five-thirty, six.”

“Melissa’s coming over?” Stiles shoulders slumped and he swallowed a sigh as Derek pushed off the wall to wrap him in a warm hug, the omega’s back to his chest, his hands dipping into Stiles’ front pockets.

“Well…” John sighed audibly. “Yeah, son, she is. We need to talk to you and we’d like to get it out of the way just as fast as you’d like to get all the alpha posturing out of the way so that we can all enjoy this weekend.” 

“Yeah, okay. Sorry, Dad. I get it. I’m just being selfish I guess,” the omega mumbled, closing his eyes as Derek pressed his nose into the hollow behind Stiles’ ear. “So, um…” The teen cleared his throat softly. “What do you want for dinner?” 

“Well, I’d like something loaded with fat and calories but I know that’s not going to happen, so how about your mom’s special casserole?”

Just like that, Stiles unwound, tension slipping from his lean frame. His voice brightened and Derek smiled against his skin, pressing a kiss to the mate-mark before pulling away. “Sure! I can do that. See you tonight, Dad. Love you.” 

“Love you too, kiddo. See you later.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at the Stilinski household.

The Sheriff came home to a house full of overgrown puppies; the entire pack was camped out in the living room, sound asleep. Derek was sprawled across his worn old couch, one arm flopped gracelessly over Scott’s shoulder, fingers tangled in Kira’s hair; his mate was snuggled up on his chest, nose buried in the crook of his neck, skinny legs stretched out atop the alpha’s stronger ones. Scott sat pressed against the couch, his cheek nestled on Derek’s arm, his own arms wrapped tight around Kira who was curled up on his lap, her head tucked beneath his chin. Isaac lay with his head pillowed on Scott’s thigh, Kira’s fingers wound in his curls. 

The sight brought a smile to the older alpha’s face and he moved quietly, slipping past the sofa to check on the casserole he could smell bubbling away in the oven. For the first time in months the old house smelled like home and John swallowed hard passed the sudden lump in his throat. Everything was changing and changing quickly but he knew it was for the better. After checking on dinner, he stripped off his coat and laid it over the back of a chair before shrugging out of his holster and stashing it in the lockbox he kept in the pantry. A soft sound and the scent of apples and cinnamon mixed with a summer rainstorm drew him out of the little room.

Smiling, he wrapped his arms around Stiles, drawing his son close and burying his nose in the omega’s hair. “Hey, kiddo,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to the teen’s head before stepping back to hold him at arm’s length.

“Hey,” Stiles mumbled around a jaw-cracking yawn. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“That’s okay. You want coffee,” John asked, already moving to the pot, hands on autopilot as he prepped it. 

Stiles smiled and dragged out a chair, tumbling into it. “Just get home? I mean obviously, you just got home.” The omega let his forehead thump down onto the table before nestling his cheek against the scuffed wood, eyes on his dad. “How was work? Parrish still your right hand, whatever he is?”

Laughing, John pulled the pot long enough to fill a cup for Stiles. “Work was refreshingly uneventful and yes, Parrish is still my number one deputy. In fact, I thought about inviting him over for dinner tomorrow.” 

“He’s not an alpha is he,” Derek asked as he stepped into the kitchen, eyeing John warily, his eyes flashing crimson, oh so briefly. 

“No, Derek. He’s not an alpha. I’m not sure of his gender but I know that much.” The Sheriff squared his shoulders and stared at his son’s mate, his own eyes blazingly red and every muscle in his body tense.

“Good.” Nodding, Derek ground his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, claws pricking his palms, before shuttered his eyes and tipping his head back and to one side. He didn’t relax until John had taken two quick steps forward to wrap his palm around the other alpha’s throat, giving the strong column one hard squeeze. 

“Welcome to the family, kid.” John released Derek’s throat and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him in for a quick hug, followed by a round of thorough, cheek rubbing and scent marking. “Take care of my son or I will gut you.” A low, bass growl reverberated through the Sheriff’s chest as he released Derek, the threat ringing true despite the almost fond smile tugging at the older alpha’s lips. 

“Dad!” Stiles drew the single word out into a long, shocked sounding whine before bursting into laughter. “Be nice!” 

“I am.” Snorting, John pulled out a chair and sat down, his knee knocking against his son’s beneath the table. “He taking care of you, Stiles? Because if he’s not I’ll happily throw him in a cell until he figures out how.” 

Derek huffed and settled in the chair opposite the Sheriff’s, curling one hand around the nape of Stiles’ neck, thumb absently brushing against the pulse beneath his ear, making the omega flush and bat at his forearm. 

“Yeah, Dad, he is. Of course he is,” he said, scooting his chair closer to Derek’s and hooking an ankle around the alpha’s beneath the table. “He’s… Honestly, Dad, Derek’s amazing.” 

Nodding, John propped his elbows on the table and sipped his coffee. “Good. And Derek, if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, please don’t hesitate to get a hold of me, okay? Stiles is still my son, even if he is your mate.” 

“Of course. Sounds like the kids are awake, or waking up, at any rate,” he muttered, almost snorting his coffee as a pained yelp sounded in the living room. 

“Kira! Kira, don’t move! Please don’t move.” Isaac whimpered. “Your ring’s caught in my hair. Scott. Scott... I swear to fucking God, you can sleep through anything,” he groused, poking the other beta in the side before nipping sharply at his thigh with elongated fangs.

“Wha-? I’m up! I’m up! Shit, Isaac…Oh… Sorry,” the beta said sheepishly, voice barely audible over Kira’s helpless laughter. “One sec, man. I promise. Or… Not. Stiles! Got any scissors?”

“No! Scott, no! You are not cutting my hair. Seriously, no…” Isaac’s voice trailed off into a series of pained little whines followed by a gusty sigh. “Ah. There. Thank God! Next time we puppy pile, Kira you are so taking off your jewelry.” 

A look passed between Derek and John, the men bursting into laughter. “Oh, Derek, I so don’t envy you,” John hiccupped, wiping away tears as Stiles threw up his hands and stalked into the living room to check on the trio.

Melissa walked into the house, just as Stiles was pulling the casserole out of the oven, and was immediately tackled by her overgrown son who promptly buried his face in her hair. “Well, hi, Scott,” she said, chuckling softly as she returned his hug.

The beta pulled back, frowning slightly at Melissa just before he turned his head and sneezed three times in quick succession. “Hi, mom. Scent-blocker? Really? New hospital policy or something,” he asked, reluctantly letting Melissa go.

“Or something,” she agreed, smiling at her son as she dropped her purse and stripped out of her coat, hanging it up near the door. “Where is everyone?”

“Kitchen. Stiles just got dinner out of the oven. C’mon. Kira came with and so did Isaac.” Scott leaned into his mom’s side, dropping his voice. “I think we should start calling him Sourwolf, instead of Derek. He’s always pouting lately.” 

Melissa arched a brow and ruffled Scott’s hair, shaking her head at him as they made their way into the kitchen. Releasing Scott she immediately headed towards the sink, brushing her body along John’s and kissing his cheek as she passed. “So, did everyone have a good afternoon,” she asked, briskly scrubbing her hands as she ignored the heavy, significant silence behind her.

“We napped,” Derek said succinctly, a quick look silencing both Stiles’ and Scott’s intense conversation. “Got up when Mr. Stilinski got home,” he added, pushing Scott into the empty seat beside Kira, before sitting himself and hauling Stiles into his lap, leaving the seat on his right empty for Isaac. 

Silence filled the kitchen as John and Melissa settled at the head and foot of the table respectively. “So,” John said, laughing as Melissa said the same a beat later. “You first, Mel.” 

“Definitely not, John. You first,” she countered, smiling almost impishly as she held her plate up to Scott, with a nod towards the steaming casserole in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinnertime confession.

Stiles grabbed a couple of slices of bread as the silence dragged on; eyes darting between his dad and Melissa, he set one down on his plate and then began to tear the other into tiny little pieces, rolling each one between his fingers until they formed little balls. He carefully set these little balls in the bowl of his spoon.

Derek kissed the back of his omega’s head, then rested his chin on one slim shoulder, his eyes on Stiles’ hands as he started to tear the second slice of bread into pieces. The alpha slipped the fingers of one hand just beneath the hem of Stiles’ shirt, rubbing soothing patterns into the skin of his belly.

“Well? What’s going on?” Scott squirmed in his seat, flushing when Derek tapped his foot beneath the table. “Seriously. Mom? Mr. Stilinski? This doesn’t have anything to do with the scent-blocker Mom’s wearing, does it?” 

Melissa laughed as John flushed, scrubbing at the back of his neck. “Trust you to get right to the heart of it, sweetie. Go on, John. Say something before our boys lose it!” Despite the laughter, Melissa’s voice was warm and tender and it pulled John’s eyes to her.

Smiling, he cleared his throat, then focused his attention on Stiles. “Melissa and I are going to get married.” He paused, dragging in a slow breath at the devastated understanding he saw on the omega’s face. “Also, you boys are going to be brothers. Big brothers I mean.”

“Huh?” Scott blinked rapidly then glanced over at Stiles, frowning at the look on his best friend’s face.

“So. You’re getting married but you already tied the knot, huh,” Stiles asked, squirming when Derek tightened his arm around the teen’s waist. 

“Stiles,” John barked, narrowing his eyes at his son. Pushing to his feet, the Sheriff moved around the table to stand behind Melissa, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “I get it, Stiles. I do. I miss your mom, too but she wouldn’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life. She and Melissa were friends and trust me, kiddo, when I tell you that she would understand.” Swallowing hard, John brushed his cheek against his shoulder. “I love you, Stiles. Absolutely nothing is going to change that. Nothing. Not ever.”

“Dude,” Scott breathed softly. “This is so cool! C’mon, Stiles,” he added, offering his friend a huge, lopsided grin. “We’re gonna be brothers. For real. And we’re gonna have a little brother or sister to teach and take care of. It’ll be awesome.”

Nodding, Stiles flicked one of his doughy little projectiles at Scott, pinging it off his nose; Kira tried to smother the giggle that bubbled out of her throat and Derek hid his face in the back of Stiles’ neck, stifling his own laugh. Isaac snorted and bit his lips, fighting a smile at the dumbfounded look on Scott’s face as the beta sat blinking at Stiles. John squeezed Melissa’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her head before walking back around the table to tug Stiles out of Derek’s arms and hug the omega tightly; he loosened his grip only when Stiles relaxed, wrapping his arms around his dad’s waist, mumbling a tiny “I love you,” into the fabric of the older alpha’s shirt. 

“Love you too, kiddo.”

“We both do,” Melissa added, coming around the table to press against John’s side, smoothing her hand over Stiles’ head as Scott crowded in on the other side, his nose bumping the omega’s temple.

With a shake of his head and a smirk curling his lips, Derek filled both his and Stiles’ plates, piling them high with food. He opened his arms to his omega when Stiles settled back in his lap and pressed a warm kiss to the other’s cheek. “I love you too, you know, and I’m proud of you,” he murmured against the shell of Stiles’ ear, making the teen shiver.

“So,” Stiles said, clapping and briskly rubbing his hands together before digging into his dinner. “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”

After dinner, Kira and Isaac cleared the table and did the dishes, jostling for place at the sink, while everyone else headed into the living room. John sprawled out in his favorite chair, Melissa perching delicately on the ottoman, her back pressed to the Sheriff’s knees as Derek and Stiles settled on the couch, the omega tucked firmly into Derek’s side. Scott threw himself onto the floor at Derek’s feet, leaning back against the alpha’s shins.

“Tomorrow, the day is yours. Both Melissa and I have to work; I should get out around two but she has to… What time do you get off?”

“About four. Parrish said he’d head over here around five and we figured we could grill out. It’s supposed to be nice out so I figure we could eat in the gazebo.” She smiled, tipping her head into John’s hand as he stroked her long, dark curls. “That sound good boys?”

Scott, still grinning, nodded exuberantly, thumping the back of his head against Derek’s knee. The alpha snorted and roughed up his hair. “Careful, puppy. Sounds good, Melissa.”

“Stiles,” John asked, arching a brow at the way his son had draped himself across Derek’s chest, one leg tangled with the alpha’s, the other curled beneath his ass.

“Sounds good, Dad.” He grinned, eyes flashing briefly. “Maybe, we can maneuver it so that Isaac and Parrish get some alone time,” he added thoughtfully.   
“I don’t know about that, son. Parrish is… He’s unique.” John shrugged. “But we’ll see how they hit it off. Might be good for them.” 

Talk eventually tapered off and a series of progressively more expansive yawns passed around the room and echoed from the kitchen. Dishes finally done, Kira and Isaac retrieved Scott, dragging the sleepy beta up to the guest room while Derek carefully lifted his sleeping omega into his arms, skull cradled in one big palm, the other slipping beneath Stiles’ lax legs. “Good night,” he whispered, nodding to the Sheriff and Melissa before heading up, Stiles cradled against his chest. 

“C’mon, love.” Standing, Melissa captured John’s hands and tugged him to his feet. “Let’s go to bed.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac has a nightmare that wakes Scott and Derek up. Scott gets to go back to sleep but Derek spends some time loving his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pack cuddles for the betas and mind blowing sex for the mated pair. Go me! lol

Scott had fallen asleep wrapped around Kira, his back to the room, girlfriend safely ensconced between his body and the wall, just the way his wolf liked it, never mind the fact that the little kitsune beta could easily kick far more ass than he could. Isaac had taken the air mattress they’d found in the closet, making himself a nest out of extra blankets and pillows; he had fallen asleep loose limbed and easy in a nest of blankets scrounged from the Sheriff’s linen closet.

Scott woke to the sound of a low, quickly bitten of whimper; it was followed by another and then another, too soft to wake Kira, but filled with enough pain that his pack mate acted without thinking. Gently disentangling himself from Kira, the beta slipped to the edge of the bed and stood; foggy with sleep, he shuffled to the air mattress and knelt, catching Isaac’s hand and lacing their fingers together. Isaac clung tightly and Scott pulled him up, tugging the other beta into a hug. 

“C’mon,” Scott said softly, rolling to his feet and drawing Isaac up with him. Without releasing the trembling beta’s hand, Scott slid back into bed and rolled towards Kira, forcing Isaac to scramble up after him and tuck in close to his back. With a shaking sigh, the blond pressed his nose between Scott’s shoulder blades and fit his body against the long lines of Scott’s frame. “Go back to sleep,” Scott rumbled, pressing Isaac’s hand flat against his stomach and settling in against Kira’s back, his own arm slipping around her trim waist as he slid back into sleep.

“Wha’s wrong,” Stiles mumbled, snuggling into a pillow as Derek sat up at the edge of the bed.   
“Don’t worry about it, baby. Just thought I heard something,” the alpha whispered as he cocked his head to one side. 

“What?” Stiles wriggled closer to his alpha, running his fingers across the small of Derek’s back before dipping them lower to trace the divot at the very base of his spine, just above the cleft of his ass. 

“It’s nothing.” Shaking his head, Derek rolled forward over his knees, letting his omega’s fingers slip lower; he shuddered, biting back a low groan, when they slipped between the cheeks of his ass.

“Huh. So. Is this a thing, Derek,” Stiles asked, pressing sucking kisses to Derek’s back as he stroked two slim fingers over the alpha’s tight, twitching hole. 

“Maybe,” the alpha admitted, voice rough. His breath hissed between clenched teeth as Stiles eased the very tip of one finger into the other’s body, twisting it slowly.

“I think I like this thing.” Grinning, Stiles pressed another kiss to Derek’s back then slipped his finger free. “C’mon, love. Stretch out on your stomach for me. Please?” 

Groaning, Derek swung his feet up onto the bed and lay back; his eyes, flickering with red, sought out his mate’s; he held Stiles’ gaze for a long minute before rolling onto his stomach and folding his arms beneath his cheek. 

“Holy fuck,” the omega breathed. Swallowing hard, Stiles ran his hands down Derek’s back, the muscles twitching and jumping beneath his fingers. “You’re amazing. You really are. So fucking amazing. Not sure what I did to deserve you. Deserve this.” Reverently he pressed his hands to the rise of his alpha’s ass, kneading the firm flesh before pinching up a mound of flesh on Derek’s right ass cheek and setting his teeth to it. Humming, Stiles bit down, just hard enough to leave an imprint of his blunted, still human teeth.

Grunting, Derek pressed his forehead against his arms, hiding his face in the hollow between them. “Fuck!” Derek rolled his hips upwards as Stiles unclenched his teeth with a wet pop and moved between the alpha’s spread thighs, stretching out between Derek’s long legs.

Tentatively, Stiles pulled Derek’s ass cheeks apart and ran his nose up the cleft, inhaling deeply. He groaned at the rich, musky scent and pulled back to lap his tongue, slow and soft, over the alpha’s loose, heavy balls. Carefully, he drew one satin-soft orb into his wide mouth, lapping at it delicately before sucking the other in alongside its twin; he held them there, tonguing the skin between as Derek writhed against the mattress, rolling his hips in slow, sharp circles.

“Fuck! Stiles,” the alpha groaned, shuddering when Stiles let him slip free of his mouth. “Naughty little omega,” he rasped, reaching back to tug apart his own ass cheeks as Stiles nosed his way upwards once again.

“Your naughty little omega,” Stiles whispered roughly before he pressed his tongue flat and dragged it wetly over Derek’s pucker. When the alpha whined, high and tight, Stiles repeated the action then settled in to lap with quick little flicks of his tongue at the tightly furled muscle; Derek pressed back against his mate’s face, breathing raggedly through his nose as the lithe little omega worked him open with nothing but his tongue. 

“God, Stiles. Like that. Just like that. Fuck!” Derek snarled as Stiles’ worked his agile tongue into his hole. “Gonna fuck me, baby? Gonna put your fat little prick in my ass,” Derek asked, voice low and wrecked; broken. 

“Mnhmm,” Stiles hummed, fucking the alpha with his tongue. When Derek was limp and shivering beneath him, Stiles drew back, wiping a hand over his spit slicked face. “Do you want me to, Der,” he asked, draping himself over the other’s back; his little cock nudged against the alpha’s hole. “Do you want me to fuck you,” he breathed in the other’s ear before nipping it sharply. “Push my fat little cock inside you…”

Whining, Derek clenched his ass and rocked towards Stiles, forcing himself open on the head of the omega’s thick little cock. Stiles scrambled for a handhold and clutched at the sheets on either side of Derek’s hips, his own giving small, stuttering jerks that pushed him deeper. 

“God, Derek,” he groaned, pressing his face between the alpha’s shoulder blades. “Don’t move. Just… Gimme a minute. Please,” he begged. Slick eased from the omega’s hole, dripping down the smooth skin to coat the base of his cock; pulling back, he smoothed the clear fluid down his length and transferred some to Derek’s grasping, greedy hole, pushing it in with his fingers. 

“Gonna fuck you so hard,” he whimpered grabbing Derek’s hip as he pushed back inside the alpha’s body. “So tight. So tight…” Nuzzling the nobs of Derek’s spine, Stiles began to thrust, his narrow hips jerking, hammering against the alpha’s ass. Every thrust, ground the head of the omega’s dick against Derek’s prostate and he clenched down around the short length, gasping; every thrust forced Derek’s cock against the bed and the alpha pushed a hand beneath his body to clench down on the first swellings of his knot. 

“Wish I could knot you,” Stiles panted breathily. “Fill you up with cum… Fuck, fuck, fuck! Der…” Stiles hips stuttered and he bit at Derek’s shoulder to muffle his cry as he came, the climax dry but wrenching, pushing thick runnels of slick from his own ass. 

Stiles barely muffled the squeak as Derek twisted, hands catching his shoulders to flip the omega to the bed. Growling lowly, Derek flipped him onto his belly and pinned Stiles’ hands above his head with one hand. Bracketing the omega’s slim thighs, Derek curled his free hand around his own, heavy erection and forced it between the omega’s tightly clenched ass cheeks, nudging the broad, flared head against the omega’s weeping hole. Setting his teeth into the mate mark, Derek began to work himself into Stiles’ body, his hips rolling as he opened him up inch by slow inch, forcing the omega to take his cock with nothing but his own slick to ease the way.

Stiles writhed beneath the alpha’s bigger body, the slow, slick drag of Derek’s cock filling him up just the way he liked it. When the alpha’s swelling knot pressed against his hole, Stiles took a slow, deep breath and pushed back against Derek, helping the other force it past the tight ring of muscle. It hurt, but Stiles bit his lips, panting through the pain and then, suddenly, he was stretched wide open, the knot popping into his body, locking them together. Derek dropped his weight on Stiles’ back as he began to spill, thick and hot and heavy, every pulse of his knot, wringing another groan from the omega. The alpha’s hips jerked helplessly, tugging the knot against the rim of his mate’s body, drawing soft, muffled sounds out of Stiles’ throat.

“Love you, Der,” Stiles whispered ten minutes later as, still tied, Derek carefully rolled them onto their sides.

“Love you too, baby.” Derek kissed the back of Stiles’ neck then pressed his nose into the pulse beneath the omega’s ear as Stiles’ cuddled Derek’s arm around his chest, tucking their clasped hands beneath his chin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family and pack feels!

Stiles shuffled into the bustling, noisy kitchen, knuckling at his eyes like a sleepy toddler. “Coffee,” he groaned, making grabby hands towards his mate. Smirking, Derek settled one lean hip against the counter, directly in front of the coffee pot and held a cup towards the omega, lifting it out of reach when Stiles neared him. 

“Gimme! Please,” he added, whining like a puppy when Derek and everyone else in the kitchen laughed.

“What’s the magic word,” Derek teased, handing the mug to Isaac. 

The blond beta smiled and busked his chin to the top of Stiles’ head before leaning around the omega to scent rub their alpha’s shoulder. “Thanks, Derek!”

“No. Mine! Isaac, gimme!” Stiles spun, reaching up for the cup, Isaac now held over his head. The omega yelped as Derek pulled him back, bending to nuzzle the crook of his neck. “Please,” Stiles amended, huffing out a sigh.

Isaac handed over the cup, laughing when Stiles started crooning to it. “So, what’s the plan today,” he asked, nudging Derek out of the way so he could get his own cup.

“I’m not sure. John and Melissa have already left for work so it’s just us until the barbeque. Of course, I took the liberty of checking the fridge and I think we need to go shopping. It’s the least we can do, given that they’re letting us crash here.” 

“Good idea, love,” Stiles mumbled against the rim of his mug. “That way we can at least pick up a few healthy things for, Dad.” 

“Do you guys mind if Kira and I take off for a while? We wanted to take flowers to the cemetery. For Allison.” Scott’s voice was soft and tight when he said Allison’s name and Kira leaned into him.

“Course not.” Stiles nodded, offering Scott and Kira a warm smile as the kitsune beta all but crawled into Scott’s lap. 

Isaac drifted to the table and sat down next to Scott, pressing his shoulder into the other beta’s. “Can I come with you guys,” he asked hesitantly. 

Nodding, Scott snuggled Kira into his chest and looped his arm around the blond’s shoulder. 

“Cool.” Stiles turned in Derek’s arms and leaned around the alpha to set his mug on the counter. “On that note, I’m going to grab a shower and uh, maybe do laundry… Like sheets and stuff.” Blushing, he extracted himself from Derek’s arms and headed toward the stairs.

Derek spun a chair around and straddled it, facing his betas. “You okay, Isaac,” he asked gruffly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know but I seem to remember waking up last night to the sound of whimpering.” 

“I’m good. I just had a nightmare.” Isaac shrugged and took a slow sip of his coffee. 

“I figured. It’s the first one though since your dad went to jail. Since Allison, died.”

Blushing, Isaac turned his face into Scott’s collarbone, relaxing when the other didn’t pull away. “Yeah. I think… I think it’s just being back here. Y’know? I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard.” 

Scott whined, low in his throat and rubbed his cheek against the top of Isaac’s head; Kira ran her slim fingers down his cheek. “Hey,” Scott murmured, “it’s okay. I know you loved her too.”

“Yeah. I did,” Isaac admitted shakily, sitting up and squaring his shoulders, careful to keep Scott’s arm around him. “Anyway! Apparently waking you up wasn’t a bad thing, Derek. I mean, if the noises coming from Stiles’ room were anything to go by.” The blond grinned, bright and sudden, sadness forgotten in favor of taunting his alpha; if there was one thing he was good at, it was compartmentalizing.

Derek flushed, fast and hot and shot his betas a red-eyed glare. Suddenly, his shoulders slumped. “Oh shit. Oh, fucking shit… If you heard us, then the Sheriff heard us. I’m screwed.”

“Actually, Derek, I think you were screwed last night but, y’know, it’s all a matter of semantics,” Kira chirped, giggling.

“Oh my, God. I’m rethinking this whole pack thing, seriously,” Derek rumbled, pushing to his feet. 

“We love you,” Scott called as the alpha stalked out of the kitchen. 

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too, puppy. All of you,” he huffed, sprinting up the stairs.

An hour later, Derek and Stiles were standing at the butcher counter; Stiles looked horrified as Derek ordered enough beef and pork to feed a small army. “Uh, I think the only one from the station that Dad invited was Parrish. Dude, love, we’re not trying to feed the entire county or anything just, y’know, like eight people.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “I just thought it would be nice to leave some for your dad and Melissa. As a… A kind of thank you. You know?”

Smiling widely, Stiles leaned up and planted a wet, smacking kiss on Derek’s cheek. “You’re pretty amazing you know. I heard you, this morning, with the trio of doom. You were perfect. Speaking of the trio of doom, do you think there’s something going on with Scott and Isaac? I mean, I’m pretty sure that he’s only really into female betas but they seemed awfully cozy this morning. Not that there’s anything wrong with it but it’s just odd. Its Scott and Isaac and they both had this undying love for Allison and now Scott’s with Kira and he’s cuddling Isaac and is it just a pack thing or, or… I mean it would be cool! But I’m just wondering if we should try and introduce Isaac to Parrish or not. And by introduce, I mean push them at each other and it’s just…” Stiles went quiet when Derek clapped a hand over his mouth.

“I think you’re over thinking. As usual. It is what it is, Stiles. Let it be.” Derek grinned, rubbing his nose against Stiles’. “Of course, having said that, I have to admit that I’d really like to see how Deputy Pretty Eyes and Isaac get along.” 

Sputtering, Stiles swiped his tongue over Derek’s palm. “Deputy Pretty Eyes? Seriously. You think his eyes are pretty?”

Snorting, Derek wiped his palm against his thigh and rolled his eyes. “It’s an objective observation, Stiles. His eyes are pretty. Yours, however, are abso-fucking-lutely amazing.” Smiling, the alpha leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Stiles’ mouth.

“Oh.” Blushing, Stiles tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“Okay, let’s get this out to the cooler and hit the grocery store. We should get home at about the same time as the ‘trio’ and we can co-opt them into helping us clean the house.” 

 

The house was spotless by the time John pushed through the door and the air was redolent with the scent of Stiles’ home cooking and the pack’s voices could be heard from the backyard. Smiling, the Sheriff headed upstairs to shower and change. Melissa, home early, slipped into the bathroom while he stood at the sink, staring at his reflection in the foggy mirror, and wrapped her arms around his hips, pressing a soft kiss to his damp shoulder.

“Hey you,” he said softly, relaxing against her.

“Hey.” Smiling tenderly, she moved to his side, leaning against the counter so she could see his face directly. “Penny for your thoughts?”

He shrugged. “It’s so nice, having our boys here. Having their pack here but…” 

“But it’s different. They’re growing up. Changing. Making their own family,” Melissa guessed, fingers toying with the edge of the towel around John’s hips. “And I would guess that you’re worried about telling Stiles’ that you’re selling the house. That we’re selling both houses so we can start over. Fresh. Worried he’s going to flip out and panic.”

“Yeah. I think I am.”

“Stiles is a lot more grounded than he was. Derek’s good for him,” she soothed, smiling up at John as the alpha cupped her face in his hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into his hands, sighing softly when he brushed a kiss to her lips.

“Never thought I’d be ready for him to mate. He’s my baby, Mel,” John murmured against her hair, tugging her against his damp chest and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. 

“That’s part of being a parent, John. I have to imagine it’s harder because he’s an omega but I feel the same way about Scott and Isaac. And I know Talia felt the same way about Derek. They’re always going to be our babies. We’re always going to want to protect them, even when there’s nothing to protect them from.”

“You’re right. I know that.” Nodding, John pulled back, sliding his hands to her waist and slipping them beneath the hem of her scrubs. He rubbed circles into the soft flesh of her abdomen. 

“And just think, we get to do it all over again,” Melissa quipped, laughing as John groaned. “Go on, love. Get dressed. Parrish should be here in a bit and I still need a shower.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The barbeque. Parrish presents Derek with a puzzle.

“Isaac!” Stiles hollered, grinning, as he put his mom’s amazing potato salad in the fridge. “Get the door! Should be Parrish!”

“Got it,” he called back as he jerked open the door. “Um. Hi.” He blinked at the man standing there, closing his mouth with a snap. “C’mon in. I’m Isaac,” he added, extending his hand to the tall, sandy haired man standing on the steps.

Parrish was all long lean lines wrapped in faded denim and a snug black polo shirt. His eyes were a cool hazel that flashed like liquid gold in the sun. Isaac felt his heart stutter in his chest as the man turned those eyes to him and clasped his hand. “Parrish,” he said warmly.

“Uh, just Parrish? No, like first name?”

“Just Parrish. For now.” Smiling, he let go of Isaac’s hand and slipped passed the stunned beta and into the house.

“Everyone’s out back. Well, except Stiles and Derek. They’re in the kitchen.” Isaac stared at the deputy’s back as the other man made his way into the kitchen.

“Hey, Parrish!” Stiles offered the man a grin before turning to pull something mouthwatering from the oven.

“Hey, kid. How you doin’, Hale?” Parrish extended his hand to Derek, offering the alpha a guarded smile.

“I’m doing well. Thank you. How have you been,” Derek asked, shaking the deputy’s hand briefly; his nostrils flared, dragging in the odd, muted scent of the other male.

“Oh, you know. Never a dull moment in Beacon Hills. Except when there are. Uh, Isaac, is it, said that everyone’s outback?”

“Yeah. John’s manning the grill, Melissa’s fussing over Scott and Kira’s got her feet in the kiddie pool. I’m not sure why they have a kiddie pool,” he added, brows furrowing.

Laughing, Parrish headed out the back door, his shoulder brushing Derek’s; the alpha dragged in another lungful of the deputy’s scent, his frown deepening. 

“What’s up?” Stiles moved to Derek, tugging off the oven mitts and tossing them onto the counter as Isaac drifted into the kitchen.

“He smells off,” the alpha muttered, dipping his head to burrow his nose against the pulse beneath Stiles’ ear, nuzzling and breathing deep.

“Yeah. Dad noticed that too when he hired him. It’s not scent blockers though because there’s something there.”

“He smells off,” Isaac asked, crowding close to the mated pair. “I uh… I didn’t even notice.”

Snorting, Derek, brushed his cheek against Isaac’s, scent marking him. “It’s his eyes. They’re distracting,” the alpha said, smirking as Isaac flushed. 

Laughing, Stiles swatted his mate’s stomach and leaned up to nuzzle Isaac’s jaw. “Just go relax. Talk to him. Weird scent or not, he’s a nice guy.” 

“Whatever,” the blond grumped, heading out the back door.

Shaking his head, Derek wrapped an arm around Stiles’ shoulders. “Let’s go outside. I want to keep an eye on things.” 

“Worried about, Parrish? Seriously? He’s been my dad’s deputy for a little over a year now and nothing hinky has every happened around him. He’s friendly but fairly quiet; keeps to himself. In fact, I think this is the first time he’s ever caved and come to one of Dad’s famous ‘ques.” 

“I’m sure its fine. I’m just feeling over protective. Isaac’s not as resilient as you. Not even half as resilient as the puppy.” 

“Huh?” Scott looked up from where he sprawled beside his mother on the porch steps, flicking a glance up at his alpha.

Derek shook his head and pulled away from Stiles to clatter down the stairs and make his way to the grill where John was diligently flipping steaks.

“Hey, son,” the Sheriff said, glancing briefly at Derek, smiling when the younger alpha flushed and rubbed at his neck. “What’s up?” 

“What do you know about Parrish,” he asked, voice too low to be overheard.

“Why?” John looked around, brow arching when he spotted Parrish, sitting on the lover’s swing near the back fence, a foot away from Isaac, talking softly with the young beta. “Huh.” 

“Huh?” Derek’s brows danced as if the alpha wasn’t sure if he wanted to arch them or frown at his mate’s father.

“He’s a good guy. Spotless record. Former military.” Shrugging, John ripped open a pack of hotdogs, laying them across the upper grate on the grill. “They’re just talking, Derek. No harm in that.” 

“Isaac’s…”

“Not that fragile,” John finished for Derek, chuckling. “Besides, I think Parrish may be utterly asexual. The kid can flirt like the devil himself; he knows he’s beautiful but otherwise he seems utterly genderless. Never have figured out if he’s alpha, beta or omega. Not sure it matters.” 

“I doubt he’s genderless, John.” Derek ran a hand through his hair, tousling the soft spikes. “That’s like amazingly rare. Far rarer than being born an omega. It’s just that his scent is off; it’s there but it’s so odd; it’s like he’s fighting his own pheromone production.” 

“Could be. I mean, I looked up his criminal history before I approved his transfer but I never looked at anything else, like say cases where he might have been the plaintiff.” Shrugging, John turned the dogs. “There could be any number of reasons his scent is off.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Derek hooked his thumbs in his front pockets and turned to keep an eye on the yard.

“So,” Isaac said, fingers fiddling with the multi-colored infinity scarf wrapped around his neck, as he glanced up at Parrish through lowered lashes. “I think Stiles has a plan with regards to you. Me. Us. He has a plan with regards to us.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me. The kid can be practically Machiavellian when he puts his mind to it.” Parrish smiled warmly at the young beta. “It’s okay though. I don’t bite.”

“Ever?” Isaac canted his head to one side, and turned more fully towards Parrish, their knees touching.

“Not ever,” the deputy confirmed, his voice still warm but somehow distant; the tone made Isaac purse his lips. 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to… To… Um…”

“No, Isaac, it’s okay. Really. Relax.” The man touched Isaac’s knee with the tips of his fingers, the touch fleeting, then slipped his hands beneath his own thighs; he didn’t move his leg though, left it resting against the beta’s.

“And Derek calls Scott puppy,” the blond muttered before rolling his lips between his teeth. 

“Scott, is a puppy.” Parrish grinned, waggling his brows at Isaac. “A big overgrown puppy,” he amended, watching Scott bound to his feet to catch Stiles around the waist and haul him off the porch, wrestling the omega, inch by inch, toward the kiddie pool. 

“Oh, God!” Isaac’s eyes went wide and he pressed a hand to his mouth, stifling laughter as Scott deposited the writhing, cussing omega in the chilly water.

Sputtering, Stiles scrambled to his feet and growled at the beta, eyes flashing honey fire. “Oh, you are so dead, Scottie!” The omega toed off his shoes and tore off across the lawn after his best friend, Kira following hot on his heels, her laughter ringing through the yard.

Derek choked back a laugh but gave up fighting it when the Sheriff nudged him with an elbow; the rough sound brought everything to a screeching halt; Scott, startled, tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground just as Kira caught the back of Stiles’ shirt, tugging the dripping wet omega into a brief hug before moving to help her boyfriend up off the ground.

“Huh,” Isaac mused, “that’s the first time I’ve ever heard him really laugh.”

“From what John’s told me, he’s always been kind of bottled up,” Parrish offered, grinning. “Looks like Stiles brings out the best in him. You and Scott too, I think.” 

“Maybe,” Isaac agreed, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“Derek, take your mate into the house and get him into some dry clothes. Dinner’s up in five,” John said, still laughing, as he began piling the meat onto a pair of big serving platters.

Derek strolled over to the omega and threw him over one shoulder, carting him off into the house, the omega howling with indignation.

A few hours later, the pack, plus John, Melissa and Parrish, were sprawled around the living room. John was once again in his favorite chair, Melissa sitting on the ottoman, back against his knees, Derek and Stiles were cuddled up at one end of the couch, Scott pressed against the alpha’s shins, Kira sitting between his spread thighs. Isaac sat on the floor near the middle of the couch, equidistant between his pack and Parrish who sat, legs spread, on the other end of the couch.

“Dinner was amazing,” the deputy groaned, rubbing one hand over his abdomen. “I swear to God, I have a food baby.”

“Me too.” Nodding, emphatically, Stiles turned his back into Derek’s side to face the deputy. “We definitely outdid ourselves this time! Remind me though, not to make like six side-dishes. Six was definitely about three too many,” he said with a laugh.

“I just can’t believe I ate seconds,” Isaac muttered, rolling his head back against the couch so he could see Derek, Stiles and Parrish out of the corners of his eyes. “Of everything.”

“I did too,” Parrish said, rolling slowly to his feet. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“Yeah, well, you and I have first shift tomorrow, so I don’t think that’s gonna be possible, Deputy.” John smiled widely as he lazily ran his fingers through Melissa’s hair. 

“I, thank God, do not work tomorrow, so I get to sleep this off and then spend the day with the kids.”

“Mom,” Scott whined, blushing when everyone laughed.

“It was nice meeting you, Isaac,” Parrish said, offering the beta a smile as he briefly touched the loose blond curls.

“You too.” Smiling, Isaac pushed to his feet, shaking the deputy’s hand.

John stood, slinging an arm over Parrish’s shoulders, and walked the man to the door. “See you tomorrow, Parrish. Drive safe.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner discussion!

“We’re heading to bed.” Melissa paused on her way out of the room to press a warm kiss to first Scott and then Stiles’ foreheads. John followed silently, ruffling the boys’ hair as he passed.

Stiles waited until he heard the bedroom door close before grinning wickedly. “Someone’s got a crush,” the omega sang as Isaac sat down beside Scott, leaning into the other beta.

“Oh, hush!” Kira reached up and pinched the omega’s toes as Scott lifted her, folding his legs into a half-lotus beneath her. Giggling, she turned, swinging her legs across Isaac’s. “You can’t really blame him. Parrish is beautiful. Seems nice too.”

“I don’t have a crush,” Isaac protested, running his hands over his face. “He’s nice and yeah, he’s stunning to look at but like Derek said, there’s something off about his scent. It’s a little disconcerting.”

“How so,” Stiles asked with a frown as he leaned down to tug one of the beta’s curls.

“Um. It’s like… I liked him, okay and it felt like I _should_ be attracted to him. Um, sexually, you know? But something was missing, something just didn’t ping for me. Like, um… Jeez. Don’t take this wrong. Anybody, okay,” he said, voice hesitant. 

The pack nodded, all eyes focusing on the blond.

“It’s… Scott and Kira both smell amazing to me, like potential partners. So do you, Stiles and you, Derek,” he added slowly. “But! And this is _especially_ true for you two,” he said, glancing up at Derek and Stiles, “you’re family. Scott and Kira are…” He sighed heavily. “You’re pack but not family so it’s complicated. Your scents sing to me. Derek’s and Stiles’ scents are just comforting; they make me think of home and safety.”

Scott and Kira blushed, but didn’t move away from Isaac and the beta relaxed, resting more firmly against Scott’s shoulder. Derek smiled warmly, the barest tick of his lips and reached down to rub his palm over Isaac’s head, tangling his curls which Stiles immediately tried to fix by carding his fingers through them.

“But Parrish,” Derek prompted, voice gentle. 

“His scent is empty of anything meaningful. It’s not like a scent blocker, y’know? ‘Cause those cancel out every single bit of a person’s scent. I guess it’s not so much that Parrish’s scent is off but that all he has is this vague base scent, the one that marks him as Parrish, it’s kind of like vanilla but there should be layers to it, nuances that are missing.” Shrugging, Isaac dropped his head against Scott’s shoulder and closed his eyes. 

“Yeah,” Derek agreed. “That’s what I got too. I’ve never met someone with that absence of scent before.”

“I could call Danny,” Stiles offered, “see if he can dig anything up,” he said around a yawn.

“I’d rather we didn’t invade his privacy like that. Besides we’re going home tomorrow night.” Derek stretched, popping his back and jostled the puppy pile on the floor. “I don’t know about you guys, but I, for one, am heading to bed,” he said, standing. 

“Sounds good.” Nodding, Scott helped Kira stand, then followed suit before offering Isaac a hand up; he pulled the other teen to his feet easily and offered him a crooked grin before leaning down to hug Stiles and rub cheeks with Derek. “Night, guys.” 

“Night, puppy.” 

“Night, Scott.” 

Derek sank back onto the sofa, smiling when Stiles straddled his thighs. “So. I think dinner went pretty well,” the alpha murmured, cupping Stiles’ hips as the omega wriggled closer.

“Other than my impromptu bath, I’d have to agree. So… I gotta say I’m impressed with how well Isaac articulated what he was feeling just now. It can’t have been comfortable for him.”

“He’s come a long way since his dad.” Derek smiled, rubbing noses with his mate. “I’m proud of him. Really proud of him,” he admitted.

Stiles grinned. “You should be. Now if we could just get Scott to catch up emotionally,” he quipped, leaning in to lick a slow stripe up Derek’s neck, humming at the rich flavor of Derek’s skin. 

“Puppy’ll get there. Eventually.” Derek let his eyes drift closed and dropped his head to the back of the couch as Stiles nibbled the chords of his neck. “And we are so not doing this tonight. We need sleep. Okay, I need sleep,” he amended, choking back a laugh as Stiles wriggled against him.

Derek chuckled, curling his hands around the bottom of Stiles’ thighs as he stood. “Wrap your legs ‘round me. I don’t feel like putting you down so I’m going to carry you upstairs. To sleep,” he added when the omega ground down against his thickening cock.

“So… We good,” Isaac asked, glancing briefly at Scott before turning away to tug off his clothes and slip on his loose pajama pants.  
“Dude. Why wouldn’t we be?” Blinking, Scott sat down on the edge of the bed, bouncing lightly.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because of what I said? I mean, I’d get it if you didn’t pull away downstairs just to keep up appearances or something.”

“Isaac, use your nose. Do I smell upset or bothered?” He grinned and waggled his brows at Isaac, expression all playful puppy. 

Laughing, Isaac flipped Scott off then dropped to his knees beside the air mattress to straighten out the covers. “No. You smell fine with it, maybe even a little… Excited?”

“Flattered,” Kira corrected, slipping into the room in a tank top and shorts. “He’s flattered Isaac.” She sniffed delicately. “Okay and maybe a little excited but he’s eighteen. He’s always a little excited.” Grinning, she climbed onto the bed behind her boyfriend and poked his shoulder, throwing a look towards Isaac, all wide eyed and intense. 

“Dude, Isaac. You are so not sleeping down there. C’mon. Puppy pile with us,” Scott said, flashing his pack mate a smile as the blond turned towards the bed, his expression soft and grateful.  
“Thanks, Scott. Kira,” he added, flashing the kitsune beta a small smile.  
“No prob.” Scott settled into the middle of the bed; Kira curled up against his side, her cheek resting on his shoulder and held out her hand to Isaac, smiling when he took her hand and slid beneath the covers.

Kira tugged on the blond beta’s hand until he settled in against Scott’s side. Smiling, Scott wrapped his arm around the other teen’s shoulder, silently urging Isaac to mirror Kira on his other side. The blond settled with a slow exhale and the trio slipped into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short! My brain just went fizzle and then pop and then flooded me with way too many possibilities. :)

Derek woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of the Sheriff and Melissa puttering around downstairs. Carefully disentangling himself from his omega, the alpha slipped out of bed and left the room, heading across the hall. He slowly opened the guestroom door and peered inside, relaxing when he saw the puppy pile on the bed. Shaking his head, he headed down, mumbling out a greeting as he headed for the coffee pot.

“You know it’s only four, right son,” the Sheriff asked, snorting at Derek’s bleary eyed glare. “Okay then. Maybe you should go back to bed.”

“Nah.” Shaking his head, Derek collapsed into a kitchen chair, sipping at his coffee. Frowning, his brows drawn tight over his nose, Derek looked from the Sheriff to Melissa. “Be careful today.”

“Of course we will be, Derek.” Melissa smiled, reaching out to touch the alpha’s arm. 

“What’s up, Derek?” The Sheriff slid into a chair near Melissa, directly across from the younger alpha. 

“I don’t know,” Derek admitted, shrugging slowly. A low growl trickled between his teeth before he continued. “Just a feeling. A bad one.”

“About?” John asked, arching a brow.

“I don’t know. It’s frustrating. Just this general sense of unease.” 

Melissa sat up straighter. “Is it about Stiles? Or Scott and Isaac? Kira?”

“I don’t know!” Derek set his mug down abruptly. “I checked on them before I headed down. Everyone’s fine but I can’t shake this feeling.” 

“Okay. Take it easy, Derek. We’ll be careful today,” Melissa soothed. 

“You’ll call if you notice anything odd? Please?”

“Course we will, son,” John said, nodding decisively as he stood. “Same goes for you. Anything out of place and you call the station.”

“But,” Melissa said, “I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s been quiet around here lately,” she added. Standing, she pressed a quick kiss to John’s cheek then headed out.

“Too quiet,” John said, sharing a long look with Derek.

An hour-and-a-half later, Derek was startled out of a dose by the ringing of the old rotary phone in the kitchen; scrambling to his feet, the young alpha knocked over the chair as he reached for the receiver and answered, voice gruff, “Stilinski residence.” 

_“Derek. It’s John. Listen, son, I need a favor. Parrish didn’t show up this morning and he’s not answering his phone. I’d send a squad to his house but they are all busy. It’s like all hell’s broken loose in the last hour. Three fires, one report of extreme vandalism at the cemetery and a break-in at the school. I’ve got no one else available. I’m headed to the hospital to follow up on a report of a disturbance. He lives over on Bluff. Big old, rundown apartment complex, number 210.”_

“Okay. I’ll grab the others and-“  
 _“No! Just you. Leave Scott and Isaac with Kira and Stiles. If it’s bad, they don’t need to see it.”_

“I’ll call as soon as I get there, John.” Disconnecting the call, Derek sprinted upstairs to wake his betas and fill them in before sneaking into his room to grab the keys to the Camaro. 

He paused beside the bed, staring at Stiles for a long minute, his expression wrecked. “I love you,” he whispered, pressing a feather-light kiss to the omega’s head before slipping out the door.

Ten minutes later and Derek was standing outside Parrish’s apartment door, head cocked to one side, his hand on the knob; it jiggled loosely with the slightest pressure and only his hand on it kept the door from swinging inward. Wafting around the edges of the lose door, Derek caught the overwhelming stench of old fear, laced with Parrish’s uniquely muted personal scent; he also caught a whiff of fading aggression, lust and the unmistakable musk of an alpha. 

“Shit!” Growling, he fished out his phone and dialed the Sheriff’s office, asking dispatch to put him through directly to John. He slipped into the apartment while waiting for the Sheriff to pick up and closed the door gently behind him. “It’s Derek. He’s not here but he was. So was someone else. John, I don’t think he left willingly; all I can smell is fear and the stink of an alpha in rut.”

_“Damn it! Any sign of a struggle?”_

“You could say that,” Derek said slowly, eyes sweeping the gutted living room. “I think that whoever took Parrish, was waiting for him to get home last night. Looks like they had some fun trashing his place.” The alpha moved slowly through the debris. Derek wrinkled his nose at the acrid stench of urine that assaulted him as he opened the bedroom door. “Jesus! Fucker pissed all over Parrish’s bed and his clothes,” he added, stepping over a sodden pile on the floor.

_“Okay. Listen, Derek, wait there, I’m on my way. Hospital call was a false alarm. For the love of God, don’t touch anything!” ___


	9. Chapter 9

“Well, son, you were right. It stinks like fear and piss in here. But, I don’t smell any traces of pain. Did you,” John asked as he leaned beside Derek against the hood of the cruiser.

“No.” Derek shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. “This is messed up.” Sighing, Derek reached into his pocket and slipped the Sheriff a small, unmarked bottle. “Found this in his nightstand. I didn’t want your forensics guys to see it. Didn’t feel right.” 

“What?” Frowning, John shook the little bottle then popped the top, brow arching. “Suppressants? These are illegal,” he said, voice so soft that Derek had to strain to hear him.

“Thus my pocketing them, John.” Derek smirked and snatched the bottle, closing and pocketing it quickly. “They certainly explain how muted his scent is and why he seems, for all intents and purposes, to be genderless.” 

“Jesus,” the Sheriff groaned. “Poor kid. I wonder if he got away or if this alpha, whoever he is, has him.” 

“Given the lack of pain-scent, I’d guess that Parrish got away.”

“Then why hasn’t he contacted me, Derek?” 

“Embarrassment? Fear? Fuck, John, I don’t know.” Sighing, Derek, pulled his phone from his pocket. “Look, it’s almost eleven. I’m going to head back to your place and check on the pack. Call me if you hear or find anything. I’ll do the same.”

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

“What?” Derek frowned, his voice rough.

“That he’s family.”

“Maybe.” Shrugging, Derek pushed away from the cruiser. Derek snorted and scrubbed at the back of his neck. “He’s alone here and he’s… I don’t know, John, he’s a kid, for all he’s only a couple years younger than me.”

The Sheriff nodded brusquely and clapped Derek on the shoulder. “I’ll call if I anything turns up.”

 

Derek sat in the idling Camaro, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel until the front door opened and his omega peered outside. The sight of Stiles standing there in the doorway made Derek’s breath catch in his throat and he smiled, ever so slightly, and cut the engine, sliding out of the car. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey. So. No, Parrish?” The omega made grabby hands at his mate, fingers barely visible; he was swamped in the black, oversized BHHS hoody.

“Nope. Are you wearing my sweatshirt,” Derek asked, slipping his hands inside the sleeves to run his fingers along Stiles’ arms, smirking at the gooseflesh rising in waves up the teen’s skin.

“Maybe,” Stiles said, smiling softly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes; he curled his fingers around Derek’s forearms, fingers trembling, and let the alpha crowd him into the house.

Derek kicked the door shut behind him and leaned back against it, tugging Stiles against his chest before pulling his hands out of the sleeves. He wrapped his arms around the omega, holding him close as he dipped his head to breath in the sweet, apple pie scent that gathered thick and warm behind Stiles’ ear. “I love you,” Derek whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

“Not scared for me,” Stiles muttered, rubbing his temple against Derek’s hair. “Parrish’s a nice guy. Hate to see him get hurt.”

“Yeah. I know. So. Where is everyone?” Pulling back, Derek rubbed his nose against Stiles’. 

“Still crashed out, last time I checked.” He grinned impishly. “Who knew Isaac was a cuddler; he’s sprawled across Scott’s chest with his nose buried in Kira’s armpit. Ew,” he added, nose wrinkling. 

Choking back a laugh, Derek maneuvered his omega to the couch and sat down, tugging until Stiles straddled his thighs. “Probably skin-starved. He hasn’t had much close contact since Allison died.”

“Probably.” Stiles squirmed briefly and then settled, tucking his face into the crook of Derek’s neck, nuzzling close as the alpha pushed his hands beneath the omega’s hoody. “So. Spill,” Stiles mumbled once he was comfortable.

“He wasn’t there but he had been. So had someone else. An alpha. Pissed all over Parrish’s bed and clothes. Tore apart the living room. There’s something else… I’m pretty sure Parrish is an omega. I found an unmarked bottle of suppressants.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s an omega. Could be a beta. Or even an alpha.”

“True but really unlikely. Suppressants don’t have the same effect on alphas or betas. They don’t fuck up their scent as badly, just tone it down, rather than mute it almost completely.”

“If he’s an omega and taking suppressants he has to be desperate. The side effects are horrible.” Stiles shuddered and dragged his nose up Derek’s neck before pulling back to meet his mate’s eyes. “Taken long enough they can permanently alter our body chemistry and render us infertile. Worse, they can kill us if the dose is even a little bit off.”

“Well, I guarantee these weren’t formulated for him specifically.” Sighing, Derek ran his hands up Stiles’ back, kneading the tense muscles. 

“Shit.” 

“Yeah.” Nodding, Derek pulled one hand from under Stiles’ shirt and cupped the back of his head, tangling his fingers in the omega’s hair.   
“Hey,” Stiles said softly, fingers twisting in Derek’s t-shirt. “Hey… Don’t worry. I’d never take a suppressant. I just wouldn’t. Especially now. What we have is way too important to me; there’s nothing you could do that would make me try and suppress my hormones, make me try and break our bond.” 

Exhaling roughly, Derek hid his face against Stiles’ chest, his fingers tightening in the omega’s hair and against his back, claws lightly pricking delicate skin.

“I love you so much. I loved you since like day one. Loved you even when you were busy slamming me into stuff. I loved you so much I spent a couple hours treading water with your paralyzed ass. You’re everything to me. Abso-fucking-lutely everything. Nothing’s gonna change that, Der. Nothing.” The omega let go of Derek’s t-shirt and wrapped his arms around the alpha’s head, finger combing his hair.


	10. Chapter 10

“Of course, no one saw or heard anything,” John said; he turned his coffee mug slowly between his palms. “I’ve been telling him to move out of that apartment for months now; told him to move somewhere nicer. It’s not like he couldn’t afford it.”

Derek arched a brow at the Sheriff, canting his head to one side.

“Okay. Okay. You’re right. Suppressants are expensive; probably took a huge chunk out of his pay every month. Fuck.” The Sheriff took a hard swallow of his coffee. “I’ve had deputies going door to door. No one remembers seeing anyone new in town and Parrish was so close mouthed about his past; never mentioned anyone. No family. No friends. If I hadn’t seen his records myself I’d think he just magically appeared out of thin air.”

Snorting, Derek grabbed his mug and stood, refilling it before starting a fresh pot of coffee. “Well, this is Beacon Hills,” he said dryly.

“Whatever, son. You don’t believe the best deputy our department’s ever had was born out of thin air.”

“No. I don’t but I do think that his lack of a past is suspect; especially when coupled with the suppressants.”   
“I know.” John sighed, jumping as his cell went off. “Stilinski. Okay. Right. On my way,” he said heavily, pushing back his chair as he stood. “That was Mel. Deputy Krieger just brought in a male alpha, mid-thirties, GSW to the left shoulder. No I.D. In rut and not talking.”

Derek nodded. “Where’d they find him?”

“Near the school. Someone called in an anonymous tip. Course our budget’s not great so we couldn’t trace the caller.”

“Right.” Nodding, Derek headed for the stairs. “I’ll get the others up and we’ll take a drive out that way.”

“Would you listen if I told you not to?”

Derek threw a smirk over his shoulder and John sighed. 

“Just be careful. If Parrish is the one that shot this guy then I’d guess he’s running scared and there really isn’t any way of telling what he’ll do.” 

Waving, Derek disappeared around the bannister.

 

“There’s nothing here, man! Not even nothing. There’s less than nothing,” Scott groused as he flung his arms wide to indicate the empty lacrosse field.

“Really, Puppy? Less than nothing?”

“I think what my erstwhile bestie is trying to say is that the field is conspicuously devoid of scent-markers.” Stiles lifted his head and sniffed, shrugging. 

“I know that, love.” Derek grabbed the back of Stiles’ hoody and hauled him close, tucking the omega against his side. “He’s right. It’s too clean but... We can’t work with nothing so let’s move on; check the field house.”

Kira shifted restlessly between Scott and Isaac, cocking her head to one side. “Did anyone hear that?”

“Hear what?” Isaac turned slowly and let his wolf roll towards the surface, eyes flashing brilliant, icy blue in the pre-dawn dark. 

“I’m not sure.” Frowning, Kira eased away from Scott and tipped her head to the other side, brows furrowed in concentration. “There it is again,” she whispered, easing into a crouch.

“I hear it,” Derek said, a low rumbling growl beneath the words; he shifted Stiles behind him, body tensing.

“What? What do you hear? I don’t hear anything? Nope. Nothing. C’mon, someone tell me!” Stiles bounced on his toes, leaning to peer around his mate’s broad shoulders.

“Stiles? Shut up,” Derek snapped, popping claws when the sound of a bullet being chambered echoed across the field. 

Scott shifted fully and moved up alongside Kira as she rolled to her feet, Isaac moving to stand on her other side.

The blond beta inhaled deeply and the bright glow of his eyes faded. “Parrish,” he called, voice gentle but loud enough to carry. 

“Go away! J-just go away! Please!” The deputy’s voice cracked on the last word, hoarse and broken as if he’d spent hours screaming. “Please go away,” he whimpered just before the gun went off.

Isaac staggered back, hand flying to his cheek; his fingers, when he looked at them, were red with blood. “I’m fine,” the blond muttered, wiping his fingers on the edge of his scarf. “Just a scratch.”

Derek nodded tersely. “Sheriff Stilinski’s worried about you, Parrish. We all are,” the alpha growled as he crowded back against his mate, herding him towards the other three. “No one wants to hurt you. We just need to make sure you’re okay.” 

“Go away!” 

The wind shifted and all four lifted their heads, scenting the air.

“Suppressants are wearing off. You’ve got to be uncomfortable,” Derek said, pushing his wolf down so that his voice smoothed out and the crimson glow faded from his eyes. “Let Isaac come check on you, make sure you’re okay and then we’ll leave.”

Parrish snorted a laugh, bitter and pained. “Right. Like I’d believe anything you have to say, Hale! Like I’d believe anything any alpha has to say.” 

Isaac shifted his weight from foot to foot, then stepped forward, easing in front of his alpha slowly. “Parrish. Please. Let me make sure you’re okay.” 

Derek rested a hand on Isaac’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

“I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want… Need to make sure you’re not hurt.” The blond pushed his shoulder up into Derek’s hand, then shrugged off his grip, inching his way towards the dense copse of trees near the eastern edge of the field house.

Parrish chambered another round. “Don’t! Just don’t. I won’t miss this time, Isaac. I swear I won’t.”

The beta froze, holding his hands out in front of himself.

“Didn’t miss last time,” Stiles hissed under his breath. “What about me, Parrish? Can I come? I’m an omega. I’m safe. You know I’m safe.”

“Hell no! No. Just no. Just leave. Please just leave. I’ll be fine. I’ll come in when… When he’s gone.”  
“He? He who? The alpha you shot,” Stiles asked, pressing against Derek’s back as he peered around the tense alpha’s arm. “He’s out of commission for a while, Parrish. You got him good.”

“Good. Good. You need to tell the Sheriff that it was self-defense.”

“My dad’ll believe you but he’s worried, Parrish. He’s not gonna take my word that you’re okay. Especially since I’m not sure you’re okay!”

A high, pained whimper came from the trees, followed by the sound of the gun clattering to the ground. “I… He…” Parrish choked back a sob but it was quickly followed by another and another, until he was keening raggedly.

Isaac shuddered and broke from his position sprinting towards the trees; he skidded to a halt, tumbling to his knees when the scent of pain like wet, molding leaves hit his nose. Beneath that rich scent curled another, sweeter aroma and the beta whined low and soft. “Parrish?”

The deputy inched towards Isaac, knees shuffling through the leafy debris that littered the ground; the blond beta caught his shoulders gently and eased him down, cradling Parrish’s upper body on his thighs. “Derek, call an ambulance!”


	11. Chapter 11

Isaac huddled over Parrish, stroking the man’s cheek and matted hair with careful fingers. Parrish lay, limp and pale across the beta’s thighs; his skin was cold, clammy with sweat, and tacky with blood. His face was relatively untouched, except for bruising around his red and swollen lips; they’d been bitten repeatedly and still bled sluggishly. Deeply clawed grooves ran from his right shoulder and down across his chest, narrowly missing his nipple; they ended in five perfect punctures at the hollow of his left hip. 

Swallowing bile, Isaac forced his eyes to the red ruin between Parrish’s unmoving, bloodied thighs; he was intact but beyond that, the beta couldn’t tell how badly the deputy had been savaged. Breathing shallowly through his mouth, Isaac bowed his body over Parrish’s, listening for the slow thud of his heartbeat. Dimly, he could hear Derek talking just a foot to his right but he couldn’t quite make out the words, couldn’t quite hear anything until the wail of the ambulance.

Isaac snarled and snapped when Scott gripped his shoulder and pulled him away, the sound fading to a faint whimper as he clamped his teeth sharply together to keep them from chattering. He flinched when Derek wrapped dropped his coat over his shoulders but instantly burrowed into the warmth, hugging the leather around his body as Scott wrapped a steady arm around his shoulders. Shivering, he pressed close to Scott, his eyes staying on Parrish until the deputy was loaded into the ambulance, only then did he allow his pack mate to lead him to the car.  
John and Melissa were waiting when the pack walked into the waiting area at the emergency room. Scott caught his mom’s eye as he gently pushed Isaac into a chair and she was at their side in a heartbeat, hovering over the trembling blond beta, wiping at the dried blood on his cheek with careful fingers. She nodded to Derek as the alpha sat down next to Isaac, drawing the shivering beta against his side; he nuzzled the teen, brushing his stubbled cheek over the other’s blond curls until Isaac relaxed against him, exhaling in a hard rush.

Stiles perched carefully on Derek’s knee and grabbed Isaac’s hand, clasping it tightly between both of his, while Scott and Kira settled into chairs on the blond’s other side, Scott pressing lightly against his shoulder and Kira touching his thigh, heedless of the blood staining Isaac’s khakis.

They were still huddled silently an hour later, the pack gathered tightly around Isaac while John and Melissa sat across from them, Melissa curled into her mate. Suddenly, Isaac shuddered hard, inhaling roughly through his nose as he dropped his eyes to his bloodstained thighs. “Is he gonna be okay?” he asked, voice distant and small as he jerked his eyes up to Melissa. 

Disentangling herself from the Sheriff, Melissa moved to crouch in front of Isaac, taking his chilly hands into her own and chafing them gently. “Isaac… I know it looked bad, I know but we have some of the best trauma care in the state. They’re going to take the very best care of him.”

He blinked several times, his eyes glazed and too wide, pupils blown. “But is he gonna be okay? There was so much blood and he was so cold. I… His… It was shredded.” 

Melissa squeezed his hands then let go to brush his curls back. “Isaac, sweetie, I need you to look at me. C’mon, kiddo, look at me. Focus,” she said, patting his cheek gently, waiting to speak again until he obeyed. “There you go. That’s it. He’s going to be okay, Isaac. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. I promise.” 

“Okay,” he whispered, nodding jerkily. “Yeah. Okay.” Isaac blinked away tears and took a slow, deep breath, color seeping back into his skin. 

“Good boy.” Smiling tenderly, Melissa stroked his curls one more time, standing as the surgeon on call stepped into the waiting room and made his way to Sheriff Stilinski who stood and met him halfway. 

They spoke softly, their words unintelligible. John nodded sharply several times before shaking the doctor’s hand. Clearing his throat, the Sheriff ran his hands through his hair and pulled Melissa under his arm as he neared his ragtag little family. “Parrish is going to be fine. He’s out of surgery and they’ve given him a specialized suppressant to ease him through the worst of the withdrawal. Doc says he’s going to sleep for a while but that we can come back and see him in the morning.”

“Good.” Derek nodded, easing Stiles out of his lap as he stood. “That’s good. I’m going to take these guys home. They… We need sleep.” 

“I…” Isaac trailed off, hunching his shoulders. “Yeah. Okay. Sleep,” the beta agreed, heading unsteadily for the doors. Scott and Kira followed after, glancing at Derek before hurrying to catch up.

“Take them home, son,” John said. “Melissa and I’ll be there in a bit. I have some forms to fill out and I want to look in on him.” 

“Yes, sir.” Derek said, nodding as Stiles pulled away and went to hug his dad, clinging to the older alpha tightly.

“You kids did good,” John said as Derek and Stiles neared the ER doors. “Proud of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding a quick note loves! I'm sorry to those who read this as Parrish having been raped - he wasn't. Also, intact simply implies that his penis is there but not what was done to it. I'll clarify in the next chapter promise!


	12. Chapter 12

Just before five, Isaac eased out from under Scott’s arm, smiling softly when the beta rolled to his other side, curling around Kira. Grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a polo, he slipped out the door, dressing in the hallway before creeping down the stairs. The house was dark and quiet as Isaac crept to the door; it squeaked as he opened it and he froze, holding his breath as he inched through the narrow crack. Closing it behind him he leapt to the cement walk, bypassing the stairs that never failed to creak. 

At five after six, skin flushed and panting, he stepped off the elevator and made his way to Parrish’s room. He nodded to the deputy standing at the door; the man smiled, opening it for the beta, voice low as he spoke, “he’s not awake yet but I don’t think he’ll mind if I let you in, kid.”

“Thanks,” Isaac whispered, voice thick as he stepped into the room. He hovered by the door until Parrish’s head turned in his direction.

“Isaac,” the deputy croaked before clearing his throat. “Hey, Blondie.” Parrish rolled carefully to his side, facing the door. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“I… I um… Fuck!” Shaking, Isaac slunk to Parrish’s side, placing one foot carefully in front of the other; he stopped a foot from the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face until Parrish caught the hem of his shirt and tugged gently.

“Hey. Easy. It looked so much worse than it was, Isaac. I’m okay. I promise,” Parrish said raggedly as he pulled Isaac to sit on the edge of the bed, hip pressed into the deputy’s stomach. 

“There was so much blood. How can you be okay?” The blond plucked at Parrish’s blanket, staring resolutely at his hands. The deputy’s scent was a confusing mix of warring emotions, pain, adrenalin, anger, fear and anticipation, interwoven with a hint of spice laden citrus.

“Most of the blood came from the wounds on my thighs and from above my penis,” Parrish murmured, laying his hands over Isaac’s to still their nervous twitching. 

Isaac stilled, breath catching. “Most?”

“I’ve got some scarring there and some beneath but otherwise I’m okay. Doc says that it’ll function normally but yeah… Scars.” The deputy cleared his throat again, smoothing his thumb over Isaac’s wrist.

“I just saw all the… All the blood and I couldn’t bear to look. Not really.” Exhaling, Isaac hunched his shoulders. “But I wanted too.”

“Don’t blame you.” Parrish smiled weakly. “So, uh. I’m obviously not a beta.”

“Obviously,” Isaac mumbled. “I um… I can smell you now.” His nostrils flared, a blush creeping up his neck.

Parrish sighed softly and eased onto his back. “Yeah? They gave me a safer suppressant, one tailored to my body chemistry. They’re making me, uh, wean off it completely. In about two months I’m going to have my first real heat in years,” he admitted as he stared up at the ceiling; his thumb still stroked soothing circles over the rapid pulse in Isaac’s wrist.

“Oh. Um. The alpha. The one that… That hurt you?”

“That ass-hat is my mate. Won’t be for much longer though. Since they have him in custody they can break our bond. It’s some weird chemical bullshit using our hormones; they tweak them or something and then wave their magic wands and inject us. Snap! No more mate bond.”

“The alpha that did this is your mate?” Isaac frowned and raised his eyes to Parrish’s face, biting his lower lip when the deputy met his gaze. “I… I’m sorry. I… It’s none of my business.”

“No, Blondie, it’s okay,” he said gently. “I mated young. I was fourteen and naïve and Alex was damn near fucking perfect. Twenty-five and absolutely gorgeous, everything I thought an alpha should be. He was kind and gentle, always treated me with kid gloves. Hell, he even asked my parents for permission to court me. We bonded on my fifteenth birthday and things changed. He changed. 

I wasn’t able to get away until my eighteenth. Joined the army. Got sent to Iraq right after basic. Despite how bad things were there, how different it was, I was free. Alex couldn’t touch me. I got out at the end of my first tour and came back to the states; I became a deputy back home and things fell to shit again. Hell, Isaac, it was worse. He almost killed me and I got a hold of one of my buddies. He helped me get away. Buried the trail and threatened Alex. I thought I was home free.” Parrish met Isaac’s eyes, his own shining with unshed tears. 

“He can’t hurt you again. Bonded or not he’s going to go away for a very, very long time,” Isaac said softly, turning his hand to lace his fingers through Parrish’s, squeezing gently. 

“Yeah, I know. Attempted murder and aggravated assault of an omega. I’ll be safe.” The deputy relaxed on a slow exhale as Isaac reached out to brush a stray tear from his cheek.

“He’ll be a toothless old man and you’ll be the Sheriff.” Isaac choked back a laugh at his own words.

“And where will you be, Blondie? Will you be mated to some pretty little beta with a toddler or three? Underwear model? Hm?” 

“Definitely an underwear model. I’m not into pretty little betas.” Flushing, the beta dropped his eyes to their joined hands.

“What about Scott?”

“Uh. He’s not little. He’s also not exactly pretty.” 

“Ah.” Parrish smiled, hissing as the motion pulled at the stitches in his lips. “But you like him?”

“Not like that. He’s my pack mate and my friend. Gives great cuddles,” Isaac admitted, voice softening as Parrish’s eyes drooped. “You’re tired. Should get some sleep,” he whispered.

“Stay,” Parrish asked, tightening his fingers around the blond’s. 

“Long as you want.” Isaac settled their hands on Parrish’s chest, careful of the omega’s injury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm ending this at a beginning of sorts... I hope ya'll enjoyed it.
> 
> I promise to get better at tagging; it's something I'm still not used to and it's hard to train oneself to do it after twenty some odd years of writing.


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